Thursday, October 20, 2016

Well, it's all got a bit much for me... Been struggling to keep up with content for both the Red Devil Motors blog and Vintage Bicycling since moving all bicycle content over to VB. I had thought that a cycle-centric blog would mean that I posted more treader content but in reality it has suffered.

So... for now bicycles move back to Red Devil Motors and Vintage Bicycling will experience a temporary pause in service.

Saturday, April 30, 2016

The problem with several projects on the go at once is that they all seem to take so long to finish. Never been much good on focussing on one at once...

Anyway, here's the GT ZR4000 shopping bike. All that is left is cable stops and toggle chain for the Sturmey five speed. I like the way it has worked out though now I look at it I fear it is a bit too small for me; rideable but the position is a bit more dropped than I was hoping for. Oh well, it'll be a good excuse for another project.

Saturday, April 16, 2016

All parts to finish off the Beesa Gold Vase are now assembled. Having a spot of bother with a couple of components - the ebay buy chainset is warped and needs straightening, but it was cheap and came with a pair of pedals so I will forgive it. The Cyclo gear set appears to be largely knackered but hopefully there is nothing I can't overcome. The gear lever is well and truly seized up and the jockey wheels are very very wobbly.

There's definitely stuff needs tweaking and sorting, the mudguard line is pretty awful and cables need making up. Getting there though, hopefully back on the road in the next few weeks.

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Took my twenties girder frame out for a spin along the local trailway with the family just recently and came across these two beasts at the Shillingstone Railway Project. They're new arrivals and originally from Slovenia. Apparently the plan is to have at least one running soon with help from volunteers and there is some three miles of track to be laid. To find out more about the locomotives themselves visit the Project 62 site.

Girder frame bicycle and Class 62 USA type
tank locomotive from the former Yugoslavia
and now in Dorset.

The girder frame shows off alone.

Here's the second loco. A bit more of a project
than it's brother this one.

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Can't help myself - been tweaking the 'mystery path racer' as featured a month or so back. The cycle was fitted with a homemade front brake lever. Idling time away browsing through the bay of E I came across rather a nice new old stock brake lever that would look far more the part. A fair price coughed up and a few days later it arrives. Needless to say not a straightforward easy fit - the diameter of the operating rod on the new lever was greater so the old anchor bolt and shaft on the stirrup had to be carefully bored out. It's on there now though and it does indeed look a treat.

I stumbled upon a nice early lightweight battery lamp in a local junk shop which is a 'Mandaw' brand item. I'd never heard of the brand before or seen a lamp like it but it is nicely complimentary to the cycle.

Finally there was the minor issue of a puncture. An easy fix and with inflated tyres I took it a spin. Where I live it is hilly. The path racer is a nice ride but it's got to be said there's not a lot of joy to be had trying to stamp around a high geared single speed track bike on hilly terrain charming as the cycle may look...

Friday, February 5, 2016

At first look it might seem to be in a bit of a state but this mid twenties BSA All Weather Ladies model is in reality rather nice. The Beesa came my way just recently and the original intention was to break it down for parts as it has a rather desirable Sturmey Tri-Coaster hub and bar mounted barrel type changer. Now it is in my hands I realise that it would be rather criminal to bust it up for spares and the cycle shall be sympathetically restored.

The All Weather ladies and gents cycles were the top of the BSA range for a number of years. They were available with an Eadie coaster single speed hub or BSA three speed with rod rear brake. This machine has no rear brake lever fitted so would have been originally fitted with a coaster hub, the Tri-Coaster it now sports is a later addition but is quite complimentary.

I cannot work out if the olive green colour is original paint or not. On a couple of components there is a trace of black underneath. I wonder if the colour was an option and if components weren't available in stock in bare metal or green then they would be over painted at the factory?

The BSA is a lovely quality mount with deeply valanced mudguards and steering lock. I have the original rims and it came with new spokes to rebuild. Once back together and with a new string skirt guard it will look lovely. The only part missing is the saddle.

BSA Ladies All Weather model. Looks a bit forlorn but all
there barring the saddle and ripe for a sypathetic resurrection.

Supplied with a coaster brake so just the one brake lever.

The reflector is a nice period accessory. The skirt guard needs
re-stringing!

Olive green in colour, the original finish? Note steering lock.

B55163. BSA cycles of the era are notoriously troublesome to
date by number. This one is mid twenties. The All Weather
models had a very long production run.

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Any psychologists out there please don't comment! Looking around the workshop I saw that I had accumulated a couple of wheels and a few other odds and ends. Rather than do the obvious and sell them on I decided that what the wheels needed was a frame to hold them together. A nice lightweight bike for nipping to the shops on would be 'a good idea'. Then this GT ZR4000 frame came up on fleabay.

The frame was cheap. When it arrived it gave every appearance of having had a hard life, then been dumped in a canal, then dredged out and cleaned up to be sold to someone gullible. The ZR4000 from 1999/2000 was never a particularly high end machine but it is light and strong and I just somehow like GTs modern take on the classic 'hellenic' rear triangle frame design.

Of course even if you think you have all the parts lying around for a build you are soon to be proven wrong. Yes, I've already spent more than the finished article is worth and it still isn't complete.

The Sturmey 5 speed rear hub lent the cycle a bit of a fixie-ish appearance and as it is to be a shopping bike I decided to go for flat bars. Just really a pair of brakes to go and the thing will be nearly there. I'll post up when it is done.

GT ZR4000. Not too bad a machine in its day.

Actually pretty pleased with the way it is turning out visually.Rear wheel is Sturmey XRD-5 on a Mavic CXP33. Front is aMavic Ksyrium,

Berthoud bar plugs were hanging around the workshop lookingfor a home. Stem is an ITM, levers Dia Compe mountain bikeand a Sturmey thumb shifter. The grips are offcuts of Brookesleather tape on top of electrical self amalgamating tape for abit of cushioning. The bars are cheap chinese generics.

Shimano Tourney XT chainset from the first ever mountain bikeI had - a Saracen City Bike from around 1985. It's converted toa single chainring from a triple with Stonglight bolts and isfitted with Middleburn puller bolts. Owing to the dark arts ofbb axle sizing I have had to mount the chainring on the inside toget the chain line right.Annoying!

Selle Italia Royal saddle and surprisinglyreasonably priced Cinelli sieatpost, I guessthey've moved production of lower end stuffto China.

Thursday, January 7, 2016

This rather lovely unrestored sloping tubed racer has recently joined the stable. I haven't yet managed to identify the manufacturer. If anyone out there can offer any ideas then please get in touch.The fork crown is fairly distinctive and the frame number appears to be 26968. I'm guessing it is from around the period just before the Great War. It rides on 26 inch wheels. The mudguard and front brake appear to be later additions and judging by the massive 56 tooth chainring I'm guessing that originally it was a track racer. The cycle will be serviced but otherwise stay exactly as it is. I'd love to take it out on a track with a period pacer. Anyone out there got one and wants to volunteer?